Mail-bag catcher and deliverer.



Patented A111230, 1912.

2 SHI'iBTS-SHEET 2.

LQ E MAIL BAG GATGHER AND DBLIVBRER..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

" JOI-15N L. ADAM, 0F NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN RAILWAY MAIL DEVICE COMPANY, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, A CORPORATION OF LOUISIANA.

MAIL-BAG- CATCI-IER AND DELIVERER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 16, 1911.

Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

serial No, 655,011.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN L. ADAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Catchers and Deliverers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invent-ion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

rIhis invention relates to a mail bag catcher and deliverer and especially to improvements in my former Patent No. 926,226 of June 29, 1909.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a device of the above character, which will catch a mail bag from a swiftly movingtrain and at the same time deliver another mail bag to the train.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for automatically releasing the mail bags to be transferred, and also improved means for holding the mail bags on the device.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain combinations and arrangements of the parts hereinafter described, and the novel features thereof will be distinctly pointed out in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof, and in which drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention, the parts being xed to a fragmental sec-tional portion of a post and a car and set in their coperat-ing positions; Fig. 2 is a plan sectional view taken on line 2 2, Fig. 1; and, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the bag holder.

1 represents a post suitably arranged at the station in proximity to a passing car represented by 2. To the post 1 are adjustably fixed a pair of bearings 3, in which are rigidly secured the ends of a vertical shaft 4 carrying a bracket 5 having a horizontal arm 6 on the upper face of which is al boss 7. A finger bar 8, preferably formed from around rod, projects upwardly through the arm 6 and boss 7, curves downwardly and then extends forwardly for supporting at its free end 9 a mail bag 10 to be transferred from the st-ation to the car. Project-ing laterally from the arm 6 near its forward end is a catcher arm 11 terminating in an upwardly turned hook 12, and having a pair of forwardly extending lateral hooks 13 arranged on an angle near its inner end.

The bracket 5 is held in its normal operative position, as shown in Fig. 2, by means of pawls 14 pivotally connected to the sides of the bracket at 15 and having nibs 16 at their inner ends for engaging a notched disk 17 fixed to the shaft 4. The pawls are normally held in engagement with the notched disk by springs 18, and the free ends of the pawls are adapted to be struck, as will hereinafter be explained, for releasing the pawls, and are limited in their movements by striking against the boss 7. In order to hold one of the pawls out of engagement with the notched disk, button headed screws 19 pass loosely through the pawls and are threaded into bosses 20 of the bracket.

The car 2 carries a bracket 21 which is in horizontal alinementwith the bracket 5, and is substantially of the same construction as the latter, except that its arm 22 is elongated and t-he shank of a curved finger bar 23 loosely passes therethrough and carries at its lower projecting end a ring holder 24, which is secured thereto by means of a nut 25. The finger bar 23 is adapted to support a mail bag 26 to be transferred from the car to the station. The bracket 21 is swung to its operative position, as shown in Fig. 2, by means of a hand wheel 28 arranged on the inside of the car and fixed to a short shaft 29, which is journaled in the side thereof and carries a bevel gear 30, which meshes with abe-vel pinion 31 fixed to the vertical shaft 32 of the bracket. A bumper 33, provided with a rubber cushion 34, is fixed to the car, at a suitable position for receiving the shock on the bracket 21.

The mail bags 10 and 26 are supported from the finger bars 8 and 23 as follows Each inail bag is gathered together at its center, as shown at 35, and inserted between a pair of hook members 36, which have their longer ends curved at right angles to the hook portions and pivotally connected together at 37 to form the bag holder. By this means the bags are readily attached or detached from rings 38 which are of a suitable size to pass over the corresponding catcher arms, and said rings pass through links 39 which loosely fit over the free ends of the finger bars. The ring 38, supporting the mail bag 26, rests in a notch 40 of the ring holder 24.

The operation is as follows z-Assuming that each catcher and deliverer is set in its operative position, as shown in the drawings, and that the car 2 is traveling in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2. In this case the pawls 14 are set as shown, whereas they would be in the reverse positions if the car approached from the opposite direction. At the same moment the rings 38 strike the free ends of the paWls 14 engaging the notched disks 17 thereby releasing same, and the bracket 5 is caused to swing in the direction j indicated by the arrow 41 and the bracket 21 in the opposite direction, as indicated by the arrow 42, which movements cause the hooks of the catcher arms 11 and 27 to engage the rings 38 and detach the links 39 from `the finger bars 8 and 23, thereby transferring the mail bag 10 from the bracket 5 carried by the post to the bracket 21 carried by the car, and at the same time, the mail bag 26 is transferred from the latter bracket to the former bracket.

It is apparent that by using the bag holder described for suspending the mail bags from the rings 38, that the `bags can be quickly attached or detached and wear and tear on the mail bags is reduced to a minimum.

It is to be understood that slight changes in the details of construction, and the combination and arrangement of the parts may be resorted to without sacrificing any of the advantages or departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, the combination of a vertical fixed shaft, a bracket rotatably mounted on the shaft, means for supporting a mail bag from the bracket, a catcher arm projecting from the bracket, and a pawl for securing the bracket to the shaftand for automatically releasing the bracket upon the pawl being struck, sub stantially as described.

2. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, the

combination of a vertical fixed shaft, a j

bracket rotatably mounted on the shaft,

bracket in a set position and for automatinl cally releasing -the bracket upon the pawls being struck, and means for holding one of the pawls out of engagement with said disk, substantially as described.

3. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, the combination of a vertical fixed shaft, a bracket rotatably mounted on the shaft, means for securing the bracket to the shaft and for 'automatically releasing the bracket, a catcher arm projecting from the bracket, a finger bar carried by the bracket, a ring detachably supported by the finger bar, and a bag holder comprising a pair of pivotally connected hooks for suspending a mail bag from the ring, substantially as described.

4. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, the combination of a vertical fixed shaft, a bracket rotatably mounted on the shaft, means for securing the bracket to the shaft and for automatically releasing the bracket, a catcher arm projecting from the bracket, a finger bar pivoted in the bracket, a ring supported by the finger bar, a ring holder fixed to the finger bar for engaging the ring, and means for detachably supporting a mail bag from the ring, substantially as described.

Y 5. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, the combination rof a rotatably mounted bracket, a finger bar projecting upwardly and extending forwardly from the bracket, means for detachably supporting a mail bag from the finger bar, a catcher arm projecting lat-- erally from the bracket, the catcher arm terminating in an upwardly turned hook and having forwardly extending hooks near its inner end, and means for holding the bracket in a set position and for automatically rev leasing same, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN L. ADAM. Witnesses:

GEO. PERRET, F. D. CHARBONNET, Jr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

